Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Review

Article Index

Introduction and Specifications

Samsung introduced the original Galaxy Tab in late 2010 and Samsung's line-up of Galaxy-branded products has simply exploded since then. Even for those who avidly follow consumer technology, it's getting tough to track. There's the Galaxy Tab line of tablets, the Galaxy S line of smartphones, and then there's the Galaxy Note line which is comprised of an array of devices. It's the Galaxy Note line in particular that's perhaps the most complex. The smaller Note devices are traditionally phones, while the Note 10.1, which as its name suggests is a 10.1 tablet, was added in order to offer S Pen stylus functionality in a tablet. As Samsung has evolved the Galaxy line-up, it has also attempted to introduce all sorts of form factors, including some that others have ignored.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 was first introduced at Mobile World Congress as a multifaceted device; it was part tablet, part mobile phone. Indeed, the global variant of the Note 8.0 is equipped with a cellular radio that can handle both data and voice transmissions. But the Note 8.0 that shipped in the U.S. market is a simpler device, because there's no voice capability--it's just a tablet. Well, "just" is a complicated term in this case. You see, the Note 8.0 is one of the only 8-inch tablets on the market. It's positioned between a glut of 7-inch tablets (including a few from Samsung itself), and a raft of 10-inch tablets.

If you aren't familiar with the Note line, it's Samsung's way of advancing the tablet. Due to the inclusion of the S Pen (a sophisticated stylus) as well as a unique mix of TouchWiz applications atop Android, the Note line can do more than your average slate. Samsung's proposal here is a unique set of software components, as well as a uniquely sized device. But are those extras worth the $400 asking price, particularly in a world full of 7-inch tablets that perform quite admirably available for under half of that? Join us as we find out...